PASCO CI-6746 ECONOMY FORCE SENSOR - Manual (Page 5)

012-06906B Economy Force Sensor
®
5
force to the measured velocity and acceleration. Adjust
the friction pad on the bottom of the cart until it is
rubbing against the track just enough to cause the cart
to move with a constant velocity as the 50 gram mass
falls. Use the Motion Sensor and the computer
program to analyze the force, velocity, and
acceleration. Finally, raise the friction pad so it rubs
the track slightly less than before, and repeat the
measurements.
Newton’s Third Law
“For every action, there is an opposite but equal
reaction.” Whenever one object exerts a force on a
second object, the second object exerts an equal
and opposite force on the first. Use two Force
Sensors. Set up the computer program so that a
push will be negative for one of the sensors. Hook
the two sensors together, and use the computer
program to measure the force from both Force
Sensors as you pull one Force Sensor with the
second Force Sensor.
Newton’s Third Law: Impulse/Collision
The impulse during a collision equals the change in
momentum during the collision:
F
∆
t =
∆
mv
Mount the Force Sensor at one end of the track.
Arrange the cart and Motion Sensor so the Motion
Sensor can measure the motion of the cart as it is
pushed toward the Force Sensor, collides with it,
and rebounds. Use the computer program to
determine the impulse and the change in
momentum during the collision.
Other Suggested Experiments
• Measure the force of a fan cart.
• Measure the centripetal force of a swinging
pendulum, and compare the force to the speed,
length, and mass of the pendulum.
• Measure the change in mass of liquid nitrogen
as it vaporizes versus the energy input to
vaporize the liquid nitrogen.
• Measure fluid drag forces on objects of various
shapes in a wind tunnel.
• Measure the net force acting on a pair of
harmonic oscillators.
• Study damped and undamped harmonic
motion using a mass and spring system.
Specifications
Output voltage: +8V for +50 newtons (pushing)
-8 V for -50 newtons (pulling)
Output noise: ±2 millivolts
Force slew rate: 30 newtons/millisecond
Bandwidth limit: 2 kilohertz
(internal low pass filter)
Output drive: 12 meters of cable without
instability.
Beam deflection: 0.28 mm
Note: This instruction sheet was written
assuming the user knows how to operate the
data acquisition software used with the
ScienceWorkshop Computer Interface. Please
see the appropriate printed manuals or online
help for specific instructions.
Motion Sensor
to computer interface
Force Sensor
Accessory
Bracket